This is part of Mommy2TyZick's Friday the 13th W/O. More details below.

Sub-category: Teen Thriller, Homoerotic
Setting: High School
Predictability: Predictable
Scare Factor: Yawn
Gore Factor: Very Mild Gore
Look-at-these: No Nudity

Synopsis: A group of rebellious high school students engages in a macabre roleplaying game, just like every other Friday night. Except tonight isn't every other Friday night. Tonight, game-master Lex has brought an ancient text that holds the power to turn an amusing game into a dangerous reality. Class is dismissed, but for whom does the bell really toll?

Title Significance: The Brotherhood III: Young Demons is the third film in a series that includes The Brotherhood and The Brotherhood II: Young Demons. Each film is independent of the others, so they need not be viewed in any particular order to maintain continuity.

Analysis: The Brotherhood 3 is Director David DeCoteau's latest video release (September 2002). Over the last 15 years, DeCoteau has directed over 40 B-films in nearly every genre using a half-dozen pseudonyms. During the last few years he has dedicated his efforts to the world of B-Horror, generating a number of traditional (Ancient Evil: Scream of the Mummy, Witchouse, Final Stab) and homoerotic (The Brotherhood, The Brotherhood 2: Young Warlocks, Voodoo Academy, The Frightening) thrillers.

Like its predecessors The Brotherhood 3 features a predominantly male cast, but the female characters do play a larger role than in the earlier Brotherhood films. Their greater presence makes The Brotherhood 3 seem more balanced without betraying DeCoteau's desire to produce quality homoerotica. As always, the cast is a talented but largely inexperienced ensemble that provides more eye candy than realism. Some may be disappointed to learn that DeCoteau has abandoned his unnatural fascination with boxer briefs for the more traditional tighty whities. The quantity and quality of skin revealed has decreased considerably since The Brotherhood.

By DeCoteau's own admission the Brotherhood films are homoerotic works, but there is only ever the vaguest allusion to homosexuality. While sensuality is dispensed freely, the sexuality is exhausted on the heterosexual interactions. This seems to clash with DeCoteau's vision of a homoertoic masterpiece. I had previously predicted that DeCoteau was testing the waters with earlier works (The Brotherhood, Voodoo Academy) and would ultimately gravitate to overt references. It's somewhat disappointing that the B-horror revolution he began with The Brotherhood has made such modest progress. I suppose B horror films never were meant to be a medium for social reform.

The quality cinematography remains unchanged, but The Brotherhood 3 lacks an element of suspense. The darkly clad stalker is cliche and uninspired. The film also lacks gore, with the exception of one young stud being slashed on the shoulder. The minor flesh wound rapidly leads into an erotic shower scene, negating any pang of anxiety the audience may have felt. Adding insult to injury, not a single character is killed or even dies of boredom. I applaud DeCoteau for trying to bring horror to new audiences. Nude women versus nude men is really a matter of semantics (and a little anatomy), but the lack of murder, mayhem and suspense are unwelcome changes. In the end, The Brotherhood 3 resembles Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? more than a legitimate horror film.

Final Comments: I was excited to discover that the release of The Brotherhood 3: Young Demons closely coincided with Mom2TyZick's Friday the 13th Write-Off. Sure, I'd rather see scream queen Linea Quiggley's boobs than a bunch of guys walking around half-naked, but I've admired DeCoteau's work since The Brotherhood. Unfortunately The Brotherhood 3 is a far cry from his earlier works; it lacks the scares of Witchouse and the creativity of Voodoo Academy. For the first time in seven reviews, I am not recommending a DeCoteau film even for the sake of seeing some skin. Check out the original work instead. I guess the number seven isn't so lucky when it falls on Friday the 13th.

DeCoteau's Homoerotic Thrillers: The Brotherhood I, II, III, Leeches!, The Frightening, Voodoo Academy

DeCoteau's Non-Homoerotic Thrillers: Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Witchouse, Ancient Evil: Scream of the Mummy


Thanks to Mom2TyZick for having the forethought to plan the Friday the 13th Write-Off because this sort of thing really is my bag, baby. I probably wouldn't have realized that today was Friday the 13th until it arrived. Be sure to check out the rest of the brave participants or you might not make it through this Friday the 13th:

Mom2TyZick (host) * AliventiAsylum * artbyjude * brandon_m * d_fienberg * lambchops * matt2050 * Mike_Bracken * Mom2TyZick * peterbryan * Rbradford * remnjava * sampo24 * shadow8 * SusiDee34 * Vormancian * xxxxer

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: VHS
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older